The Secret Child
by Stella-g1rL
Summary: The daughter of Voldemort, the heir of Slytherin has come to Hogwarts. And she's done everthing wrong so far: become a Gryffindor, made best friends with a muggle-born, and become friends with her dead father's mortal enemy-Harry Potter. Great...
1. Prologue: My story by Em Murray

Okay, don't judge me before you know me.

Look, don't you ever wish, once in a while, your family were somebody else's family? If you were me, you _would_, every day. I mean, you don't get to choose who your parents are. I know, because if I'd had my way, my parents wouldn't have been Tom Riddle _and _Amalie Kirk. You think I actually _wanted _to be the daughter of the evil Lord Moldy-Voldy? Ya, you thought your relatives were bad, I'm sure. Till you met me.

If I'd have had it my way, y'know, if this were my perfect world, my very nice Uncle Sam would be my father and my mum wouldn't have died of cancer when I was two… and a lot of other stuff wouldn't have happened that did.

Instead, my Muggle mother somehow managed to sleep with Moldy-Voldy without dying and had me nine months later. The daughter of said Dark Lord. Emily Murray.

Actually, my real name was Amalie Lela Riddle. But when my mum died, naturally, I was shipped off to my only living relative, Sam Riddle. Except Samuel L. Riddle is dead, by a forged record, and Sam R. Murray is the same exact age with the same birth date the same looks and almost the same parents, by all records.

So when I moved in with him, he had mine changed, legally, to Emily Rose Murray, his estranged daughter. My mother is currently listed as unknown. Basically, the cover is that I was dropped on his doorstep when I was two with a note that told him I was his daughter, no signature, and my name.

Anyway, I still don't get what mum saw in the whole snake thing with Voldy. Apparently, he looks a lot like a snake. Oh, yeah, and that half of my family can talk to snakes as well. Unfortunately, it is dominant in me. At least I didn't get the whole snake looks from Voldy. Y'know, the fact that he looks like a snake. A fact that my mum seems to have overlooked.

I was born on September 13th, and roughly one year and one month later my dad was wiped out by Harry Potter. On Halloween. When Harry was only a year old. Seriously. A _baby_ killed the worst Dark Wizard of the age. And one year later my mum died of cancer. When I was two years old.

So I grew up with my uncle taking care of me.

But now I'm going to be eleven on the 13th of September and tomorrow, I'll be heading to Hogwarts. Because today's the last day of August. And It'll seriously be the first time i've been away from home for longer than a week. and a whole school term is a long time to try to keep a secret like mine...

But I can try...


	2. Summary: Day 1

' Kay. So, I've been at Hogwarts two days and I've already got myself a best friend and a worst enemy. And I would have made my dad (remember? Moldy-Voldy?) because one of the people in my House is Harry Potter. Who is, by the way, in Gryffindor, and one of my friends.

Okay. You want a summary. Right?

So here's how it went on the school train. I boarded and found myself a corner of a compartment where I'd hoped I would go pretty much alone and unnoticed. Yeah. There was no way I was going to get away with that. First, these two boys (Ron Weasley and Harry Potter) show up in my compartment because (ha-ha) everywhere else is full. Real funny.

But then while I was totally not following the conversation at all, a girl shows up and she talks to them for a little while. Then she leaves and I watch out the window. Eventually, I'm poked in the shoulder by the red-head, who wants to know if I planned to change into my school robes. I got up silently pulled them on over my Muggle clothes and left it at that.

"So, who're you, exactly?" the shorter, black-haired boy asks me.

I looked up. "Me?" he nods. "I'm Em."

"Em. What's your last name?"

"Murray. Em Murray."

"Ah. You're a first year, too?"

"Yeah. I am."

"Is your hair really red, or did you dye it?" the red-head asks me.

"Oh. I'm natural."

"How old are you?" he asks, looking down at me. So, yes, he's a few inches taller than me. But I'm not short. He's just taller.

"I'll be eleven on the thirteenth."

"This month? In twelve days?"

"Yeah."

They started asking me about myself, and I skirted around the facts of my family. Soon the girl returned. I learned that she was Hermione Granger, and we were soon talking like we'd known each other for years.

We got to the school, across the lake, and through Sorting without much incident. Although I can't say there was no incident because I happened to speak up when that Malfoy kid was insulting me and Ron before Sorting. So that is the enemy. And the best friend is Hermione, a Muggle-born.

We all ended up in Gryffindor. And my dad would have been so disappointed in me. I just broke Gaunt Rules number 1-5. And I could care less that I did.

All I'll say besides that is, if you'd actually been able to read those Gaunt Rules, you'd know why my dad was so messed up.

But, my first two days at school were pretty uneventful. I had another run-in with a Slytherin yesterday. But it was no big deal.

_...So far, I'm doing good, though…_


	3. Homecoming

_Dear Uncle Sam,_

_So, unfortunately I wasn't put in Ravenclaw like you. But I wasn't put in Slytherin either. So that narrows it down to two Houses: Hufflepuff & Gryffindor._

_I suppose you'll be happy to hear I'm in Gryffindor, but I was a little disappointed that I wasn't put in Ravenclaw. Still, I was assured I'd be better off as long as I wasn't in Slytherin. And, besides, it's not so bad. Yet. I have made a friend, though. That would be rare, and never lasts long, but Hermione is nice enough, and she's extremely bright. She's a Muggle-born, but she's been far nicer than anyone else._

_I've already made some enemies as well: a pair of Slytherins named Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. And two boys in Gryffindor have been really nice as well. Ron Weasley and Harry Potter._

_It's been a very nice first week, and all of my classes went well enough. All of my papers were graded with some of the top marks of the class, but I think some of the other students I have classes with, particularly the Slythertins, must believe I'm pretty dumb, because I don't talk aloud during class._

_Well, I've my first Astronomy lesson tonight so I'd best get a little sleep. Write back, please!_

_Love, _

_Em 3_

So here's what was really happening: I started crying because I missed being home so much, and I had to stop writing before I cried on the parchment. I rolled it up, tied it to my owl, Sapphire's, leg, and opened the dormitory window to let her out. I crawled into bed, expecting an answer by breakfast time.

I woke early the next morning, smiling. I got dressed in my school robes, even though it was Saturday and pulled out of my trunk a book I'd snuck: Uncle Sam's copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare, college edition language, bible print, 8-point-font-type. Talk about easy reading. (No, I'm not _even_ kidding.)

Seriously. I was already halfway through Hamlet, the fourth play in the collection. And it was seriously literary genius. If you counted my opinion, anyway. I even understood what was being said, which is more than most people can say. With the _common English _version of the same plays.

So I spent another few hours in my bed, curtains drawn, reading in privacy. Then I heard somebody stirring in the dorm. I closed the book and hid it under my pillow. Then I heard Hermione's voice on the other side of the dorm.

"Em," she asked, "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," I say, clawing my way free of the hangings. "Why don't you get dressed and we'll head down to breakfast?" I suggest softly. She nods.

----------------------

So, at breakfast, while I happened to be drinking some pumpkin juice (oh, how I wish I had coffee!) and munching toast, the owls swooped in. I quickly looked up and caught sight of my owl, amongst all the others. A few minutes later, she'd landed neatly next to me, spilling my cup of pumpkin juice, and Hermione's. I smiled and carefully untied the letter, and package from her leg.

Before letting her fly to the owlery, I gave her a bit of toast. She nipped my fingers affectionately before taking off again. I helped Hermione clean up the juice, and then opened my letter.

_Dear Em,_

_I already miss you but I promise school will get better. Don't sell yourself short or second-guess yourself. I was as confused and scared as you, but trust me, it gets easier, and you'll make more friends. Loads._

_Soon, you'll start to feel more at home as you make more friends. I am happy, you know. I loved school as a Ravenclaw, but you have obviously got the guts I never had, if you're in Gryffindor. Your talents are worth so much to your House and at least you're not in Slytherin, since you do seem to be a little disappointed._

_Just so you know, I accidentally baked cookies and rented a movie for Movie Nite. So I sent you some, only a half-day old. Hope that they make you feel a lot better, Em. Enoch sends his love, the only way a snake can: He says to not forget his song, and to sing it when you're feeling down._

_I love you, Em._

_Uncle Sam_

Awwwwww! I so missed Uncle Sam more than ever, and how'd he gotten Enoch (he was a garter snake that lived in our back garden, who was like our pet) to say that, I had no idea. And he'd sent me cookies…

Oh, I'd miss Movie Nites so much! Actually, I'd just miss home in general. But I wouldn't mind school so much. And now, I was pretty sure I wouldn't have time to miss him properly. And I'd likely never be bored, I realized as Hermione dragged me away from the table to go hang out outside…and maybe finish homework…

_…So now I have assurance that Uncle Sam believes I can get through this, and an awesome friend…_


	4. Happy Birthday To Me! Just Send Cash!

A/N: I am soooooooo sorry for how long it has taken me to finish and publish this chapter, peeps! I promise I'll try harder in the future, guys! please read it, review it, maybe give me a piece of your mind on the lack of publishing for soooooooooooooooo long... Luv Ya!  
-Stella Scarlett Flynn

* * *

I decided I'd do something for my birthday. I'd been doing something every year since I was five. Usually, I was stay up all night and watch movies with Uncle Sam. But that can't be done here. so I guess I am just going to spend my day writing Sam and wishing that I was home.

Hermione says that I should enjoy my birthday for what it is worth, since I will never turn eleven again. She probably didn't think about Reincarnation, but that is okay because I can't really say I like the theory that we just keep being reborn over and over. 'Cause I'd probably get really sick of it.…

Anyway. I figured that all I'm going to do is keep it quiet, skip dinner and spend time writing to Sam and having the sweets he sent me (that I haven't opened yet) as my dinner. And maybe sleep in, skip my first class… That was my major plan, last night. But that was before I woke up to find a small pile of presents at the foot of my bed…and Hermione lying in wait for me. At five thirty in the morning, no less!

She smiled as soon as I was fully conscious, and then handed me a small box off the top of that pile I mentioned. I had a note taped to it from her. I read the card opened the gift (a bracelet) and moved through my other presents, most of which were from Sam.

I got a couple of things from Sam's old pal Remus Lupin, and from my solitary friend in the Muggle world, Anna. I also got this necklace, gift-wrapped from a couple of the adults I knew, like Sam's old girlfriend, and my once-babysitter, Chelsea. But most were from Sam.

The rest of the day boded pretty well, all things considered. I had homework assigned, I went to classes, had meals… but after classes let out for lunch, I went down with Hermione to Hagrid's house. I opened a present from him, and he had made me a birthday cake (excellently made, considering how he usually bakes) that the three of us shared. But after that second perk of the day, we had a double Potions block right before dinner.

In Potions, Snape was as merciless as could be, designing one of the more complicated Potions lessons in order to take up the double class and (I think he had hoped) make us late to dinner. But I wasn't going to let him make me late for my date with William Shakespeare and Sam's present--cake. Especially because of my aptitude for potion-making. I was the only one able to complete the assignment in the time given, besides Hermione (a first, esp. for me) and I was the only one who skipped out on dinner even though being on time getting out of class.

When everyone else came into the common room, I was just finishing my cake, and my homework. I didn't need _that_ hanging over me all weekend. Harry flopped down next to me and asked, "Are you doing your homework?" I nodded.

"Are you almost done?" _nod_.

"Ummmmmm. Why'd you skip dinner?"

"Because I had cake and homework to be done."

"Oh…So, you had cake. Does that mean it's a special occasion?"

"No. It means today is my eleventh birthday."

He gets up and walks away, just as I finish my homework. I smiled. I love scaring people off by saying stuff like that. Y'know, stuff that makes no sense.

* * *

A/N: Read and Review, please! I love any and all comments, including ideas on where to take this story. And once again, I apologize deeply for not posting for so long. I just had no new ideas.

PS for all who're wondering, she got a Beatles tee from her bestie, a CD from her uncle's ex, and a long letter, along with some cash, from Remus Lupin (whose friendship I will elaborate on when we get to her third year of Hogwarts)…


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